23 January 2017

The ominous shadow of Islamist extremism appears to be looming larger in Africa.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported recently that Islamist extremists have imposed Sharia law in a number of villages in Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa with a predominantly Muslim population.

The human rights watchdog group said the radicals have banned baptisms and Christian weddings, threatening dire punishment to those violate their edicts. These extremists have also executed public officials, it added.

The group said the human rights abuses are being carried out by several militant groups such as Al-Qaeda, Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Front and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa.

It said the Mali government has largely been rendered powerless to stop these Islamist militant groups from "imposing restrictions on village life" and from executing people. [Christian Today] Read more